Everything you need to know about the National School Walkout today

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Everything you need to know about the National School Walkout today

Today, students are walking out of school to protest gun violence

Are you wondering what National School Walkout Day is, or how to participate? Here is everything you need to know about National School Walkout Day on Friday, April 20th that is planning to protest current gun laws.

What is it?

Today, High School students across the United States are planning to leave their school to protest mass shootings and advocate for gun control.

When is it?

The walkout is April 20th at 10am. The date was chosen to honor the 20th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting.

How do I participate?

Students are being asked to wear orange. Students will leave their school buildings at 10am, then gather outside the building for 13 seconds of silence to commemorate the Columbine shooting victims. Any other activities depend on the individual school.

Who is organizing the event?

The event came from a Change.org petition started by Lane Murdock, a High School student from Ridgefield, Conn., about 20 miles from Newtown. Newtown was the site of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting.

Lane's petition says the goals of the protest are to “hold elected officials accountable,” to find “solutions to gun violence” and to encourage students to be more engaged in policy.

How is this different than last month's protests?

Last month, there were walkouts at universities and High Schools across the country in response to the Parkland High School shooting. The activists and students that organized this protest also organized March For Our Lives, a demonstration in Washington D.C. demanding solutions to gun violence.

April's protests will be much longer. March's protests asked students to leave for 17 minutes — one minute for each Parkland victim — while April's walkout asks students to leave all day.

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